Just days after eight St. Aloysius baseball players walked down the aisle for graduation, a couple of coaches are following them out the door.

Assistant coaches Chris Busby and Chris Buse are leaving the school to pursue other opportunities in Louisiana. Busby will become the head baseball coach at Tallulah Academy, while Buse is taking a job as an assistant baseball and football coach at Brother Martin in New Orleans.

“I’m excited. Fired up. It’s actually good timing. The experience here at St. Al has been astronomical,” Busby said. “I was prepared to do something last year, but getting another year under my belt has made it even better.”

Busby spent nine years as an assistant baseball, basketball and football coach at Porters Chapel Academy. During his time there, he helped PCA win three MAIS Class A baseball championships and reach the football semifinals three times. He also spent time as the school’s athletic director, head soccer coach and as head of its physical education program.

He left PCA after being passed over for the position of head baseball coach in 2009 and went to St. Al, where he helped the Flashes win their second consecutive MHSAA Class 1A championship this season. The job at Tallulah will be Busby’s first head coaching position. He will also serve as an assistant for the football program. Ironically, Tallulah plays both PCA and St. Al in football next season.

“It’s a good place to grow,” Busby said of Tallulah. “They’ve got a good young group coming in that’s been playing tournament ball all their lives. It’s just a matter of utilizing that talent. They’re fixing to grow and get out of the baseball cellar. The school has never been to the playoffs that I know of, so that’s the first goal.”

Busby acknowledged there’s plenty of work to do at Tallulah. The Trojans only won two baseball games this season and don’t have a junior varsity or summer program.

“They don’t have a JV or summer baseball, which is something that’s going to change. That’s vital for success,” Busby said.

Buse is moving on to one of Louisiana’s top athletics programs after two years at St. Al. Brother Martin has been in the football playoffs each of the last four seasons and reached the Class 5A baseball semifinals this year.

Buse’s fianceé, Jordan Edwards, is transferring to LSU after she completes some course work at Mississippi State this summer. She plans to attend LSU’s medical school in New Orleans when she finishes her undergrad studies next year. Buse said that situation, along with the opportunity at Brother Martin, made this the right time to leave Vicksburg.

“It’s a family thing. My fianceé is moving down there. Plus it gives me an opportunity to get my master’s degree and it’s an opportunity to step up because it’s a 5A school,” said Buse, who celebrated his 25th birthday on Monday.

Both Buse and Busby said they enjoyed their time at St. Al. Buse helped the Flashes win two state baseball championships, while Busby won one.

“It’s hard to beat that,” Buse said with a laugh. “It was a blast. It was fun. It was the most work I ever put in to attain a goal in any sort of athletics.”